Frannywanny

Gone are the days when we can list off all the best and authentic Chinese restaurants available in town. Lately, it seems like they have dwindled in number and what's left are really just a handful of the tried and tested, best of the best, true blue authentic Chinese restaurants. It could probably be due to the pandemic where most Cantonese chefs decided to head home or it can also be the affected F&B industry where we saw a number of really good restaurants bade us goodbye.  Therefore, should you come across a really good restaurant, let's give our all-out support and dine there as often as we can. A few months ago, we discovered Crystal Dragon  upon an invite from my cousin-in-law M. He's such a certified foodie whose recommendations I fully trust. He has been frequenting Crystal Dragon at Nuwa Hotel and after enjoying our first meal there, I instantly knew why M loves it so much.  First of all, the service is top notch. Servers were so attentive and they're ve...

This week will be a happy one! More family members are coming to visit and I'm feeling all giddy all day. Speaking of family, let me tell you about this delicious dinner that I had with my in laws on our last day in Manila a few months ago. I have to tell you that my MIL has great taste in food. It need not be over-the-top expensive but she really has the eye (or shall I say the nose and the taste buds) in finding really yummy finds from weekend markets to hole-in-the-wall eateries in Chinatown. *sigh* no wonder I'll never achieve my 23 inch dream waist line. For as long as I'm home, I have both my Mom and my MIL force feeding me everyday. Hehehe... Dinner was held at Ginzadon Restaurant inside Resorts World Manila in Pasay. I've been eyeing this restaurant for almost 2 years now but since Resorts World isn't exactly what I would call accessible from my house, Paul and I never really found the time to purposely drive all the way here to eat. I'm so glad M...

From the moment that I got engaged, I simply thought that Paul and I will be able to have more time to spend dating, going out on regular movie nights, enjoying a weekly massage and a lot more. In other words, I never thought that after being married for two years, our schedules would turn from hectic to crazy to crazier! Every weekend, we have deliveries to attend to, a growing business to take care of and a number of functions and parties to attend. That's how our two day weekend run and we don't even have a baby to worry about yet! Our weekends are normally filled to the brim that we truly cherish rare lazy weekends with not a single thing to do. This is the reason why both Paul and I love having impromptu dinner dates that allow us to unwind and to just enjoy a really good meal. A few months ago, we got an invite to we spend a quiet night at Dusit Thani Manila 's Italian restaurant -- Tosca . We've dined at Tosca before, first, for an event for work and second, a...

Finally the wait is over! Since last year, we have been awaiting for the opening of the newest commercial building in the Greenhills Shopping Center . This is the one right beside Krispy Kreme and Promenade. As regular visitors of Greenhills, we would closely monitor the progress of the building and were lucky to quickly receive the news that the first two (I hope they’re not the only two) restaurants are now open – Gloria Maris and Wafu . Gloria Maris is no stranger to the Greenhills/San Juan community as most of our birthdays, engagements, weddings were celebrated there. I have yet to visit this new branch as I miss their shabu-shabu very much. Meanwhile, our attention gravitated towards the newbie – Wafu . It’s a Japanese restaurant and while others may quickly deduce that it’s there to rival the decades-old Sugi or Kimpura, peering into Wafu’s interior will tell you that this one gives a more modern Japanese vibe whereas the other two will always offer you the traditional fa...

Recently, my best friend T and I had a fun R&R weekend in Tagaytay City . Believe it or not, it was our first time to go on a trip together despite being friends for more than two decades already! This is because a handful of plans have been postponed and cancelled again and again. Finally, after two decades of planning, we finally took the first step by having an all-girls bonding session that weekend! How I wish my two other best friends C and E can join us next time. Well, there was just one major thing that T and I did all weekend... that was to eat . We started by having lunch followed by grabbing some milk tea...then we headed to our hotel and after resting for a few minutes, we drove to Tagaytay Highlands to do a little walking to prepare ourselves for our much-awaited steak dinner at Highlands Steakhouse ! It was my first time to dine here and I was really excited about it. I'm glad that T made reservations as we got to the restaurant at 7PM sharp and it was alrea...

Forgive me dear readers as I'm still in truffle heaven. I woke up this morning with a smile on my face as I thought of that delicious plate of pasta that I had last night. Indeed, this just got to be one of the best hangovers that I've ever had and here I am daydreaming about it again as I type this entry. Finally, after months of planning, Paul and I met up with a couple of his cousins for dinner at Lusso . This is to bid goodbye to two cousins who will be traveling soon and to also celebrate ML's birthday at the same time. What a fun celebration! We initially had a hard time looking for the restaurant as there was no huge signage which you will commonly see in most restaurants but rather all they have is an engraved signage spelling out LUSSO at the handle of the restaurant door. Very subtle yet so elegant. Reservations were made and our party of 12 was comfortably seated inside. The menu came in the form of a small lengthwise piece of paper with back-to-back print...

Not all meals are created equal. I love to eat, that's true. However, in my many years of food tripping and blogging, there are just a handful of meals that really blew me away from start to end. No mistakes, no so-so dish, everything was simply delicious from appetizer down to dessert. Just recently, I had one of the best dinners that I've ever had so far. It was an intimate gathering with a few fellow food bloggers at the one-week-old restaurant called Impressions at the Maxims Tower and dinner was prepared by Chef Cyrille Soenen , former hotel executive chef and current owner of the French restaurant Cicou . Dinner began with a basket of freshly baked bread . I love warm bread especially when paired with an array of delicious spreads. I also noticed that the bread had a hole in the middle and it was because it was hanged like a kebab thus causing the metal rod to puncture a hole at the center of the soft dough. I was told that they don't fully bake the bread an...

It was our last day in the island and it has always been a tradition that we eat well and splurge a little for our last meal. Thus, together with my sister and her friends, we headed to Lemoni Cafe inside the busy D'Mall. Since we were there on a non-peak season, getting a table was pretty easy. I've read up on all the must-eat and must-visit places in Boracay and for Lemoni Cafe , there's only one thing that I've seriously made a mental note of -- to try their Tiger Prawns with Spinach and Coconut Risotto (Php. 495)